A Week Well Spent With You
by Skillzyo
Summary: After a long year of teaching newly-discovered witches how to get a handle on their powers, Cordelia surprises Misty and suggests spending the first week of summer vacation in the swamp. Things go well until Cordelia realizes just how much she misses the luxuries of home. [Two-Shot]


**AN: **Inspired by a post on tumblr by** theseravy**, who theorized that Cordelia would not be a huge fan of living in the swamp with Misty. Follows the idea that Misty didn't die during the Seven Wonders, which I wrote about in the fic '**Wouldn't You Love to Love Her**', but that isn't necessary to read in order to understand this one.

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The heat, Cordelia decided, was a living, breathing entity. An oppressive one that pressed heavily on her shoulders and forced beads of perspiration from the pores of her skin, making her body slick with sweat even when she didn't move. She had never acknowledged the Louisiana heat as anything more than annoying, not when she had artificial air blowing through the vents of the academy, cooling its rooms to bearable temperatures.

But she was not in the familiar comfort of her home. She was in Misty's shack, hidden away in the Louisiana swamps, laying on the small bed in nothing more than her underwear, unable to move due to the thick heat pressing on her body, stifling her. The woman that lay beside her hummed a Stevie Nicks song and trailed her index finger over the exposed skin of her stomach and Cordelia marveled at Misty's ability to ignore the suffocating temperature. She envied the other woman's state of comfort, but she only had herself to blame for her current situation.

After a long year of classes, their students had returned home for summer vacation, leaving the academy houses mostly empty. Some students remained-those who had no families to go back to-but Zoe, Queenie, and Madison had offered to watch over them so Cordelia could get Misty out of the house for a while. Madison had done so with a roll of her eyes as she puffed on a cigarette, but the offer was genuine. While they were competent witches, however, they were still young themselves, and Cordelia had been reluctant to leave the remaining girls in their care until one of the older teachers-a woman Cordelia had attended school with in earlier years-offered to stay an extra week as well. It was the least she could do for the new Supreme, especially after spending so many years mocking her abilities when they were young.

Later that evening, in between sweet kisses stolen beneath the cool sheets of their queen-sized bed, Cordelia surprised Misty with her plans for a getaway to the swamp and told her to pack enough clothes for a week. The smile she received was beaming and her heart swelled when Misty rolled off the bed and hurried to their shared dresser to pull out the clothes she would need.

The first day away from the manor had been pleasant. It was a short drive from the house to the swamp where Misty had lived alone for so long, and Misty passed the time by quietly singing along to the CD Cordelia had made her months ago. It was filled with songs by Pat Benatar, Bonnie Tyler, and Stevie Nicks. Meanwhile, Cordelia remained focused on the road, but she would steal glances at the woman beside her and smile at the way she mouthed the words to the songs and tapped her fingers against her thigh as she watched the scenery fly past the window.

When the car rolled to a stop in front of the shack, Misty could barely contain her excitement long enough to unbuckle the seat-belt, and Cordelia found herself wondering if the other woman was truly happy at the academy. Those thoughts were quickly chased away when Misty opened her door and took her hand to pull her out of the car.

At first the heat hadn't been so bad. Cordelia was more focused on the rasp of Misty's voice as she led her around the garden and talked about the plants, touching each one with her free hand as she walked through the gardens. Cordelia did the same, a proud smile on her face as she felt the life of the plants brimming beneath her fingertips. Misty had done well for herself in the swamp despite the circumstances that forced her there, and she had returned throughout the year to make sure the lives she had nurtured continued to thrive.

Despite the beauty of the gardens, Cordelia should have known there would be trouble the moment she saw the small, rusted generator tucked away in the corner of the shack. She was familiar with the large one they kept at the house, but it had only been used in emergencies, not as a primary power source. She wasn't sure she wanted to know how Misty had gotten her hands on it, as generators were not cheap and, as far as she knew, Misty was not a rich woman.

Her second clue that the getaway might not turn out as planned was the bathroom, or rather, the lack of one. A claw-footed tub was pressed against the wall across from the bed, but there was no toilet or sink in sight.

Yet Cordelia was so caught up in Misty's smile and enthusiasm, all thoughts of the shack's possible unpleasantries fled her mind.

Those thoughts returned later that night when Cordelia awoke to an uncomfortable pressure building in her bladder, only to come to the horrifying realization that she would have to go outside.

After that awkward ordeal, she crawled back into bed with Misty and told herself she was still pleased with how the getaway was going. After all, there were no girls to interrupt their quiet time together, no crises to solve or arguments to resolve. It was just the two of them enjoying the other's presence.

As much as she enjoyed Misty's presence, however, she did have to admit that it was hard to fall asleep on the small bed with Misty's leg between hers and her arm draped over her stomach. It was hot and the heat radiating off the other woman's body wasn't helping, but she didn't have the heart to ask her to move. And so, in the middle of her first night at the swamp, Cordelia realized their week-long getaway may not go as pleasantly as she planned.

Their first full day spent at the shack the heat was a constant presence, but it was easy to ignore as Misty led her all around the muggy swamp and pointed out her favorite spots to sit and listen to the sounds of nature.

One particular spot had been a large fallen tree near the water's edge. Moss had grown on the underside and was creeping higher. Misty had climbed up and taken a seat, then held her hand out to Cordelia to help her up.

She kept her hand in Cordelia's as she closed her eyes, dipped her head back, and inhaled deeply. "I love Stevie, but there's somethin' about listenin' to the birds chirpin' and the frogs croakin' that never gets old."

Cordelia, for her part, could only focus on the insects buzzing, but she imagined once she got over the sound of the mosquitoes and gnats flying around her head, the music Misty heard would reveal itself to her. Until she could hear it, she decided to loop her arms around one of Misty's and lean her head against the taller woman's shoulder so she could listen to the sound of Misty breathing instead of the bug's buzzing in her ear. It was soothing and made her forget about the wet heat clinging to her skin for the moment.

It wasn't that she was unused to being around nature and bugs. She did spend the majority of her time brewing potions made from all manners of plants. Plants that she cared for in her greenhouse. Plants that grew from the fertilizer she herself had worked into the soil with her own hands. But her greenhouse was still a greenhouse. She still had control.

Out here, with Misty, there was no control over nature's power. Things grew where they grew because that's where they wanted to grow. It was organized chaos and Cordelia could feel the unbridled power of the swamp. It was the same raw energy she often felt radiating off of Misty, although it had lessened to some degree during her stay at the academy. Misty often talked about how she couldn't be her best self until she found her tribe, but Cordelia wondered if staying at the academy had really been what was best for her. Once again, she found herself wondering if Misty was truly happy with her.

She was quiet on their walk back to the shack, consumed by thoughts about Misty's happiness. The younger woman hadn't shown signs of being unhappy. But Misty was one of the more respectful witches Cordelia had met and she wasn't sure she would complain if something were wrong.

"Miss Cordelia?"

Misty's raspy voice interrupted Cordelia's thoughts with the same respectful attitude she had just been dwelling on. Despite their relationship, Misty still referred to her as 'Miss' most of the time. She had told Misty she could just call her 'Cordelia' but it was still a work in progress.

"Yes, Misty?"

"Well, you been really quiet is all, an' I was just wonderin' if maybe somethin' was on your mind."

"I'm fine," she replied, although there was still the nagging voice in the back of her head telling her Misty was much happier in the swamp than she was with her. "It's just hot."

"You're right about that," Misty said with a small smile as they approached the shack. "Sorry there ain't no AC here. I didn't really have the time to get it installed."

Cordelia laughed at that and shook her head before stepping closer to the swamp witch. "It's fine, Misty," she said. "I'm fine."

And she was, for the most part, even if she _was_ still covered in sweat after stripping down to her underwear in the shack.

Despite the heat that clung to the air after the sun sank beneath the horizon, it was nice laying outside with Misty later that evening, catching the slight breeze that blew through the trees. The blanket beneath them was rough and tickled Cordelia's legs, but it was worth it, as were the multiple mosquito bites she was acquiring as they lay outside, tracing the stars into shapes.

Cordelia used the names of constellations she had been taught as a child. Misty had never learned those names, so she stuck with whatever animal shapes she saw and wove stories out of them. Her hands waved in the air, darting this way and that, as she told the story of a hare trying to outsmart a fox and Cordelia couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Is this what you did out here on your own? Watch the stars and make stories?" Cordelia thought it was a simple question, but when no answer came, she rolled onto her side so she could get a better look at her companion. "Misty?"

"I wish I could tell ya I spent all those months doin' this, Miss Cordelia, but I was too scared to leave the shack at night," she said with a sigh. "Sometimes I'd wake up thinkin' someone was creepin' around outside and I'd try not to breathe in case they could hear me." Misty turned on her side as well so she could look Cordelia in the eyes as she said, "I knew I could bring myself back if anything happened, but dyin' the way I did... It wasn't somethin' I wanted to happen again."

"And it won't," Cordelia said before leaning forward to seal the promise with a kiss. After she pulled back, Misty ducked her head, but not before Cordelia caught a glimpse of the smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice. "I don't think anyone's ever looked out for me the way you do."

Cordelia smiled and placed her hand against Misty's cheek, coaxing her to look up. "I'll always look out for you, Misty. You're my tribe," she said, and she was rewarded with a grin.

"And you're mine," Misty replied, "so don't be afraid to tell me if you're not happy stayin' here. You're not gonna hurt my feelins. I know my swamp ain't for everyone."

It was Cordelia's turn to duck her head, trying to hide the blush on her face as she said, "I miss indoor plumbing."

Misty laughed in response before pulling Cordelia into another kiss. When she pulled away, the smile was still on her face. "Jus' make it through tonight, an' tomorrow morning we can go somewhere else if you want."

Cordelia nodded and Misty laughed again before she rolled onto her back and slipped her hands beneath her head, using them as a pillow as she stared up at the stars once more. The sound of cicadas and crickets filled the air around them, only to be broken when Misty spoke again.

"Miss Cordelia, can we go somewhere by the ocean or somethin'? I always wanted to see it an' it might be cooler there."

"The ocean sounds perfect," Cordelia replied, already fantasizing about a shower and an actual toilet.

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**AN:** There will be a part two coming soon.


End file.
